The Trend Pacioretty & Karlsson have in common...Edmonton?

One of the NHL's worst kept secrets is now out in the open..The Montreal Canadiens will NOT be extending Max Pacioretty...

If you are regular reader of this blog you have known this for some time. This will make him a UFA after this season, and while yes, that is one thing that Karlsson and Pacioretty do have in common, that is not what I am writing about...

No, what they have especially in common is the fact that they both appear to be forcing a move to a team in Florida.

It has widely been reported that Karlsson is only willing to sign an extension with Tampa (as of this writing...but that may change today I am told). I am also told that Pacioretty feels the same way about the Panthers...This of course means the Canadiens are out of luck in getting a bidding war going...both LA and Pittsburgh have tried to get in on this, but to this point they have both fallen apart largely over the extensions...

And if you are feeling this is league-wide trend...you are in step with the NHL Owners...

NHL Star Players are finally starting to dictate where they are going in similar ways to what we have seen in the NBA....and they are using their pending free agency to force trades to a single destination...

This has been going on sporadically for a while now... It started back with Marty St. Louis and the Rangers, then came Shattenkirk and the Rangers, Now Karlsson and Pacioretty...and teams are taking these pressures more seriously now that Tavares has become the first bona fide superstar to actually go all the way to free agency and sign with his team of choice...

This puts the screws to teams in a big way, but don't be too hard on the players. This is their right...They have negotiated NMCs and the ability to be UFAs....You have to realize this much...the teams use all their power to keep them with the team they are drafted to until they are 26 or 27...That is plenty of time for a team to "win over" a player...and if they don't the player can leave.

I do wonder if an issue in the next CBA negotiation will be a re-vamping of the No Movement Clause the more this trend continues...

As for the Kucherov signing....A source tells me this won't affect the Karlsson trade...The Bolts have the money for this year and Callahan and Johnson can be moved next season when the extension kicks in...

Keep an EYE on Edmonton...

Quick note...As I was writing this I was told the Oilers may be up to something today...something big...working on more details and I will update this spot...